Hinged cover plastic box



Qt. 16, 1951 R. P. MAGNENAT 2,571,909

HINGED COVER PLASTIC BOX Filed May 24, 1947 Patented oct. 16, 1951 2,571,909` HINGED COVER PLASTIC BOX Ren P. Magnenat, Waterbury, Conn., assignor to Waterbury Companies, Incorporated, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application May 24, 1947, Serial No. 750,340 3 claims. (cl. 22o- 31) This invention relates to boxes having hinged covers, and more particularly to a watch or jewel box molded from plastic material, having a base and a cover intertting therewith, and including concealed hinge pins for securing the cover to the base.

One object of this invention is to provide a box of the above nature wherein a concealed hinge pin is permanently locked in place by the act of inserting it, without deformation of any of the parts, and without the use of screws vor other additional locking or holding members.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of the above nature wherein frictional means are provided to impose a restraint upon the swinging movement of the cover with respect to the base.

A further object is to provide a device of the above nature, which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to assemble, and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearance, and very eflicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated in the accompanying drawing one form in which the invention may conveniently be embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a top plan view of a swinging cover box embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional View of the same, taken on the broken line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional View on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the box, taken on thel line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional exploded view of the coacting hinge parts of the box base and cover.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the same parts, as shown in Fig. 5, taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. l, showing the hinge pins in an intermediate stage of installation.

Fig. '7 is a cross-sectional view somewhat similar to Fig. 6, of a modified form of the invention in which the hinge is provided with a single hinge pin retained permanently in position by a shoulder formed in the box.

Referring now to the drawing, in which like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter B indicates a flat-bottomed cupped base, and the letter C a domed cover adapted to be hinged to said base.

The edges of the base B and cover C are provided respectively with a tongue I0 and a rabbet II, extending around substantially the entire perimeter thereof, and coacting to exclude dust when the cover C is closed. The tongue I0 and rabbet I I terminate adjacent thickened rear walls I2, I3 of the base and cover, respectively, and said rear walls I2, I3 have coacting convex and concave surfaces I4, I5, respectively, which serve to prevent passage of dust between said walls. The convex and concave surfaces I4, I5 are made concentric with respect to a 'pair of resilient hinge pins I6, I1 mounted against an inner bearing surface I@ of an elongated slot I9 formed in the body of the rear wall I2 of the base.

The slot I9 is bounded by a pair of inwardly converging side walls Isa, and a pair of vertical end walls |917.

The cover C is provided with a pair of :lugs 2Q, ZI depending from and integral with the rear wall I3, which lugs are swingably mounted upon the hinge pins I6, I'I.

In the assembled relation of the parts, the lugs 2U, 2l closely fit within openings 22, 23 which comprise notches extending through the convex top of the wall I2 and into the slot I9 of the base B. The lugs 20, 2| have apertures 24 to receive the hinge pins I6, Il, the parts being so proportioned that said pins are held in said apertures and against the bearing surface I8 of the slot I9 by the lugs 20, 2|.

It will be noted that the bearing surface I8 is formed to have slightly inclined portions 25 adjacent the openings 22, 23. This construction facilitates the assembly of the parts, as will be hereinafter described.

In order to produce a frictional engagement between the cover C and the base B, the upwardly-facing convex surface I4 of the rear wall I2 and the downwardly-facing concave surface I5 of the rear wall I3 snugly engage each other in the closed position of the cover C and through a certain range of movement of the cover, producing a restraint upon its movement and also retaining the pins I6, I1 snugly against the bearing surface I8 in the slot I9. Moreover, the convex and concave surfaces I4, I5 are of limited width so that the degree of their engagement will depend upon the position of the cover in its swinging movement-said surfaces being substantially disengaged when the cover C is in fully open position.

The box also preferably includes a plurality of integral feet 26 extending from the lower surface of the base B, and a forward handle projection 21 upon the cover C.

In the modified form of hinge illustrated in Fig, 7, a base B1 and acover C1 have generally the same features as described in the first form shown in Figs. 1-6.

The base B1 and the cover C1 have thickened rear walls 28 and 29, respectively, provided with adjacent convex and concave surfaces 3l) and 3|. A hinge pin 32 is retained against a pair of inclined bearing surfaces 33, 33a, formed in a slot 34 in the wall 28 by an apertured lug 35 integral with the cover C1, and entering said slot through an opening 35. Thus, the lug 35 and the pin 32 mutually serve to hold the parts in assembled relation.

It will be noted that `the slot 34 is of suicient length to enable the pin 32 to be inserted lengthwise into the apertured lug 35 as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 7. Also, the inclined bearing surfaces 33, 33a will serve to guide 'the pin 32 while being inserted through the aperture in the lug 35. When the pin 32 reaches its final position, it will snap suddenly into abutment with a small shoulder 37 at one side of the bearing surfaces 33. Thereafter the hinge pin 32 will be confined between the shoulder 31 and a large shoulder 38 formed at the opposite side of said bearing surface 33a.

Operation In operation, the box may be readily assembled by 'merely applyingthe cover C to the' base B with the lugs 20, 2l in the openings 22, 23 and then slipping the hinge pins I6, I1 into place. As shown in Fig. 6, the pin Il may be slipped into place first in one direction, and thereafter the `pin I3 pushed in the opposite direction of the arrow until it snaps into the position shown in dotted'lines in'Fig. 3.

It will be understood that the inclined bearing surfaces 25 will engage the 'pins i6 and i7 and open` position of the cover C, at which time the t center of gravity of the Acover will lie behind the axis-of the hinge pins I6, I1.

One advantage of the present invention is that the box base B and the cover C are adapted to be molded from any suitable plastic material, and that no subsequent cutting'or drilling is required in order to prepare the parts for assembly.

A further advantage is that the usey of an insertion slot I9 in the 'base C eliminates the drilling of holes in the sides of the box, or the use of auxiliaryscrews, clamps, or other securing elements, such as were required in previous devices. The hinge pins are positively locked in place and do not show from the top and sides of the box. In fact, the hinge pins are so securely held that they cannot be accidentally removed.

A still further advantage is that there are no projecting hinge parts-the cover lugs 20, 2| being flush with the adjacent surfaces of the base in the closed position of the cover C.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understoodfthat this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific disclosure, but may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. In short, the invention includes all of the modifications and embodiments corning within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a box, a pair of walls in edge-to-edge relation, one of said walls having an elongated Gil slot in an outer surface thereof, said slot extending into the interior of said wall and terminating in a bearing surface, said wall having an opening extending into said slot and intersecting said bearing surface, said bearing surface including a pair of longitudinally inclined portions adjacent said intersecting opening, an apertured lug projecting from the other of said pair of walls through said opening and adapted to extend into said slot, and a rigid hinge pin located in the aperture of said lug and lying in engagement with said inclined bearing surface portions, whereby said lug serves to hold said pin against said bearing surface without backlash and said pin connects said Walls in swingable relation.

2. In a box, a pair of hinged members having aligned Walls in edge-to-edge relation, a hinge pin, means comprising a lug integral with one of said walls for sivingably mounting said latter wall upon said hinge pin, said lug being provided with an aperture having a continuous inn-er surface embracing said hinge pin, and a bearing surface approximately aligned with saidl inner surface and cooperating with said mounting means to retain said hinge pin within the other of said Walls, said bearing surface being constituted by the inner extremity of a slot formed inwardly from an outer surface of said other wall, an addi'- tional hinge pin being located in said slot in alignment `with said first hinge pin, the bearing surfaces and the aligned pins being longitudinally coextensive, the outer ends of said hinge pins abutting the outer ends of said slot to prevent substantial endwise movement of said pins and being concealed thereby, whereby said walls are connected for relative swinging movement,

3. In a box, -a pair of hinged members having aligned Walls in edge-to-edge relation, a hinge pin, means comprising a lug integral with one of said walls for swingably mounting said latter wall upon said hinge pin, said lug being provided with an aperture having a continuous inner surface embracing said hinge pin, and a bearing surface approximately aligned with said inner surface and cooperating with said mounting means to retain Said hinge pin `within the other of said walls, said 'bearing surface being constituted by the inner extremity of a slot formed inwardly from an outer surface of said other wall, an opening being provided in the bearing surface, said opening receiving said Wall mounting means, said bearing surface having a pair of inclined portions adjacent said opening, and said slot having side walls converging inwardly from the outer surface of said other wall and merging with said bearing surface, whereby said Walls are connected for relative swinging movement.

REN P. MAGNENAT.

REFERENCES CTIEF) The following references are of record in the ille of vthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 'Number Name Date 537,844 Moore et al. Apr. 23, 1895 583,629 Oldenbusch June 1, 1897 2,012,800 Allen Aug. 27, 1935 2,205,969 Boenecke June 25, 1940 2,303,147 Tinnerman Nov. 24, 1942 2,347,980 Apfelbaum May 2, 1944 2,362,120 De Swart Nov. 7, 1944 2,386,009 De Pasquale et al. Dec. 26, 1944 2,435,272 Graham Feb. 3, 1948 

